Automatic brake mechanism



L. F. FIESER. AUTOMATIC BRAKE MECHANISM.

APPUCATION FILED MAR.I4.19I6.

Wm M mm 5 L H gn O i L. F. FIESER.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 14, 19I6.

Patented Aug. 15,1916. Q

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

LAWRENCE F. FTESER, VOGT, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

, Application filed. March 14, 1916. Serial No. 84,227.

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, LAWRENCE F. F IESER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vogt, in the county of Reynolds and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Brake Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic brakes for farm wagons and other vehicles, and it has for its object to produce a simple and improved brake mechanism which will be self-setting when the vehicle to which it is applied is on a down grade and in which, when the vehicle is on level ground or on an up grade the brake will be released.

A further object of the invention is to produce simple and effective means for looking or securing the brake mechanism in inactive position so as to enable the vehicle when heavily loaded to be backed when desired.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and improved brake mechanism which will be simple in construction and thoroughly effective in operation under all circumstances.

lVith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is atop plan view showing a wagon running gear to which the invention has been applied. Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section showing the position of the parts when the brakes are released. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the position of the parts when the brakes are applied. Fig. 4 is a detail view in side elevation showing the operation of the locking means for securing the brake when released. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of the brake actuating lever at the front end of the wagon pole or tongue.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The running gear shown in the drawings includes the front and rear axle 15, 16, the sand board 17 which is supported on the front axle, the front and rear bolsters 18, 19, the front and rear wheels 20, 21, the reach 22, the rear hounds 23, the tongue 24 and the tongue hounds 25, the latter supporting the doubletree 26 carrying the whiffietrees 27.

Extending transversely across the rear hounds and supported thereon is a cross bar 28 having a groove in which a rock shaft 29 is supported, said rock shaft being retained in the groove by clips or caps 30. The rock shaft 29 carries at each end a bell crank 31. Th brake beam 32 is suspended by links 33 from the forwardly extending arms of the bell cranks 31. Supported in bearings 34 to the rearward of the cross bar 28 is a rock shaft 35 havingupwardly extending radial arms 36 and downwardly extending radial arms 37, the arms 36 being connected by links 38 with the upwardly and rearwardly extending arms of the bell cranks 31. The

downwardly extending arms 37 of the rock shaft 35 are connected by links or rods 39 with the brake beam 32. A bracket 40 located forwardly of the brake beam supports a T-shaped lever B having arms, one of which, 41, extends in an upward direction, another, 42, in a downward direction, while the third arm, 43, extends rearwardly, said rearwardly extendingarm being connected by a link 44 with the brake beam The doubletree 26 is connected with the tongue 24 by means of a hammer bolt 45 for the reception of which the tongue is provided with a longitudinal slot 46, permitting the doubletree to slide longitudinally with respect to the tongue. The upper end portion of the hammer bolt is guided in a guide member consisting of a U-shaped yoke 47, the limbs of which are terminally oflfset in a downward direction, as seen at 48, to permit the doubletree to slide longitudinally between the tongue and the yoke, the downwardly offset portions being bolted or otherwise secured on the tongue. The hammer bolt has been shown as terminating at its upper end in an eye 49 with which is connected one end of a wire rope or cable 50, said cable being guided rearwardly through an aperture 51 in the sand board, and its rearward end being connected with the forward end of a strong coiled spring 52, the rearward end of which is connected with the upwardly extending arm ll of the T-lever B. It will be seen that draft in a forward direction applied to the doubletree will cause the latter to slide forwardly, tensioning the cable 51 and spring 52 and rocking the lever B in such a fashion as to move the rearward end of the rearwardly extending arm 43 in an upward direction, thereby lifting the brake beam 32 through the medium of the link at to a position where the brake shoes will be disengaged from the hind wheels 21. This operation is assisted and facilitated by the bell cranks 31 which will be rocked by the upward movement of the links 33, whereby the brake beam is suspended, causing the rock shaft 35 to be partly rotated by the action of the links 38 connecting the upwardly extending arms 36 of said rock shaft with the upwardly and rearwardly extending arms of the bell cranks 31, thereby causing the links or rods 39 which connect the downwardly extending arms 37 of the rock shaft 35 with the brake beam 32 to push said brake beam in a forward direction until the brake shoes are entirely clear of the treads of the hind wheels.

The downwardly extending arm 42 of the lever B is connected by a spring 53 with the reach 22, the function of the spring 53 being to maintain the cable 50 in a taut condition at all times. The spring 53 may be an ordinary light coiled spring, the tension of which requires considerable less force than the spring 52 heretofore mentioned, said spring 52 being sufiiciently heavy to support the weight of the brake beam and related parts. The principal use of the spring 52 is to prevent the cable 50 from breaking when subject to heavy strain, for instance, in turning the wagon when the turning of the front axle about the axis of the king bolt 5a would be liable to impose excessive strain on the connecting rope or cable 50.

The forward end of the tongue 2% is protected by means of a cap 55 which is made perfectly smooth, the customary neck yoke being omitted. Pivotally supported on the tongue by means of a transverse pivot member 56 is a bifurcated lever 57, the limbs of which extend upwardly in the path of the neck yoke 58, said lever being also provided with a downwardly extending arm 59 having a link or loop ring 60 with which is connected the forward end of a flexible connectingmember, such as a cable 61, the rearward end of which is connected with the downwardly extending arm 42 of the T- lever B, said flexible member 61 being suitably guided through an aperture 62 in the front axle. It may be stated that eyes or keepers 63 may be provided in any desired locations for the ur ose of uidin intermediate portions of the cables or flexible connecting members 50 and 61.

Connected swingingly with the underside of the tongue is a hook 64, the same being adapted to engage an aperture 65 in the downwardly extending arm 59 of the lever 57 the purpose of said hook being to lock the lever against movement by the neck yoke when it is desired to back a heavily loaded wagon, it being evident that in the absence of such provision the backing movement of the team would actuate the lever 57 to set the brakes. For the purpose of protecting the neck yoke against undue wear, that portion of the neck yoke which contacts with the .lever 57 has a shield or cover 66 of sheet metal.

In the operation of this device it will be readily understood that when draft is applied to the doubletree, the cable or connecting member 50 will be tensioned, thereby rocking the T-lever B and lifting the brake beam so as to release the brakes, it being understood that the spring 52 does not ordinarily require to be tensioned, said spring constituting mainly a safeguard to prevent the flexible element from breaking. This condition will prevail as long as the team is traveling faster than the wagon. YVhen the wagon travels faster than the team, as will be the case on a down grade or in checking the movement of the team on a level grade, the neck yoke will engage the lever 57, rocking said lever about its fulcrum and transmitting motion by the flexible element 61 to the T-lever which will now be rocked in the proper direction to set the brakes. The degree of force applied to the setting of the brakes will be in direct proportion to the force exerted by the forward movement of the load with respect to the team. Thus, on a down grade, if the team is traveling at a rapid rate, the progress of the vehicle will not be obstructed by the brakes until the speed of the wagon exceeds that of the team, when the brakes will instantly and automatically set to a sufficient extent to prevent accident. Moreover, as soon as the brake shoes friotionally engage the wheels, the-tendency will be for the wheels to carry the shoes in a downward direction, thus causing the links or rods 39 to exert pressure on the arms 37 of the rock shaft 35, whereby said rock shaft will be rotated in a direction to tighten the brakes against the rims of the wheels. Thus, if the team should stop, the brakes will be almost instantly and automatically set so tightly as to positively prevent further progress of the vehicle. This is essentially important on steep hillsides where, with brake devices of ordinary construction, it is not always possible to check the vehicle quickly enough to avoid accidents. I

The general construction of the improved brake mechanism is simple, and it has been found thoroughly eifective for the purposes for which it is provided.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In an automatic brake device, a brake beam, and means for swingingly supporting said beam for positive movement toward and from the hind wheels of a running gear, in combination with a T -lever having upwardly, downwardly and rearwardly extending arms, a link connecting the rearwardly extending arm with the brake beam, flexible elements connected with the upwardly and downwardly extending arms of the T-lever, and movable team-controlled elements with which the flexible elements are connected to rock the T-lever in opposite directions by the pulling and the checking movement of the team.

2. In a brake device, a brake beam having wheel engaging shoes, means including bell cranks supporting said brake beam for positive movement toward and from the wheels to be engaged thereby, a T-lever having a earwardly extending arm, a link connecting said arm with the brake beam, a flexible element connected with an upwardly extending arm of the T-lever, said flexible element including a coiled spring, a coiled spring exerting tension on another arm of the T-lever to maintain the flexible element under tension, :1 flexible element connected with the last mentioned arm of the T-lever, and team-actuated movably supported elements with which the flexible elements are connected to effect rocking movement of the T-lever by the pulling and checking action of the team, respectively.

3. In a brake device, a brake beam supported for swinging movement toward and from the wheels to be engaged thereby, a T-lever having upwardly, downwardly and rearwardly extending arms, a link connecting the rearwardly extending arm with the brake beam, spring means engaging the T- lever and exerting constant strain thereon in one direction, team-operated means for actuating the lever against the tension of the spring to release the brake, and team-operated means for actuating the lever in the direction in which it is actuated by the spring for the purpose of positively setting the brake.

l. A running gear including front and rear axles and wheels, a reach, hounds, a tongue, doubletree and neck yoke, a brake beam swingingly supported adjacent to the rear wheels, supporting means for the brake beam including bell cranks by the rocking of which the brake beam will be positively moved toward and from the hind wheels, :1 T-lever having upwardly, downwardly and rearwardly extending arms, a link connecting the rearwardly extending arm with the brake beam, means for supporting the doubletree for longitudinal sliding movement with respect to the tongue, a suitably guided flexible element connecting the doubletree'with the upwardly extending arm of the T-lever, said flexible element including a spring, a second spring connecting the downwardly extending arm of the T-lever with the reach to maintain the flexible element constantly taut, a bifurcated lever fulcrumed on the tongue in the path of the neck yoke and having a downwardly extending arm, and a second suitably guided flexible element connecting the downwardly extending arm of the bifurcated lever with the downwardly extending arm of the T-lever.

In testimony whereof I LlllX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LAXVRENCE F. FIESER.

Witnesses WV. H. AKER, E. L. UTTERFIELD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

